Speaker brings cutting edge concepts to CNCC

Craig  The future of community colleges and how to become a "learning college" will be the focus of an Institutional Day speech at Colorado Northwestern Community College (CNCC).

Terry O'Banion, president of the League for Innovation in the Community College, will speak at the CNCC-Rangely campus Wednesday.

O'Banion will offer his expertise as a consultant for Institutional Day. O'Banion will address the CNCC district staff and in an effort to help the college begin the process of evolving into an organization that fully embraces the concepts of becoming a "learning college."

Robert Anderson, CNCC president, is thrilled about the learning opportunity that O'Banion's speech presents to the CNCC staff.

"He is an expert in his field and I'm pleased that we got the opportunity to grab him from his very busy schedule," said Anderson. "It will benefit the entire college. He will help us to refine and enhance the educational system and focus on the individual."

O'Banion has grown the League for Innovation into an international organization that serves more than 650 colleges and it has been recognized by Change magazine as the "most dynamic organization in the community college world." He has consulted for more than 600 community colleges in the United States and Canada and has written 12 books and 126 articles on the community college. His latest book, A Learning College for the 21st Century, published in May of 1997 has been awarded the Philip E. Frandson Award for Literature in the field of continuing higher education.

Anderson views the presentation of O'Banion's concepts as an opportunity for the college staff to reassess views of the educational system.

"I think that his speech will encourage us to step out of the box and to look at the educational system from a different angle," said Anderson. "We want to focus on how we can best serve the individual student and how we can really make this a learning institution."

O'Banion is one of the leading spokespersons in the country on the movement called the Learning Revolution.

Dean Hollenbeck, vice president of CNCC-Craig, believes the school is fortunate to have O'Banion visit and hopes the staff and faculty will take the opportunity to become informed about what it means for CNCC to become a "learner-centered" and "learning-centered" institution.

"We're excited that we have this opportunity," said Hollenbeck. "These are cutting edge concepts that should enhance the way we view education."